Fall Colors

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are lucky to have a pretty temperate climate, despite all the rain. When summer rolls around and we start spending more time outdoors, it’s easy to notice where your home’s exterior needs some touch-ups. As temperatures drop, the cooler weather conditions can be perfect weather for painting! But don’t wait too long into the fall for the weather to take a rainy turn; weather that’s too cold or too wet isn’t ideal, and won’t allow your paint to cure properly.

Always check the labels on your paint or stain for temperature recommendations. The amount of time needed for paint to properly cure will be affected by temperature and level of humidity. If paint is improperly cured, due to humidity levels or extreme temperatures, it can crack, blister, and peel. A good thing to remember is to try to paint in dry weather, and in the shade as much as you can, as applying paint will be smooth, its properties won’t change due to the environment, and it is more likely to cure properly. In warm weather, the surface you’re painting will have a hotter temperature than the air. Always paint on dry surfaces, and after a rainstorm, allow at least 4-8 hours for your home’s exterior to dry thoroughly before applying more paint. Don’t forget to prep your surfaces properly, so your primer, paint, and stains can properly adhere.

Fall is in full swing, and there are going to be some gorgeous, perfect days for exterior painting! Take advantage of this transition between seasons and enjoy the cooler weather. This month, we’re featuring Pumpkin from our Color Evolution line of paint. Pumpkin is a wonderfully warm, deep, earthy orange that works on it’s own as a primary color for the interior or exterior of your home, and just as well as an accent color.

Decorate your home with orange and black for Halloween and year-round.

Turn your home into a spellbinding and hauntingly beautiful house this Halloween and all year-round. The color combination of orange and black isn’t singularly reserved for October 31. Let the hues inspire your home’s interior.

Black and Orange Interiors

The pairing of black and orange has a rich history full of tradition. These colors trace back 2,000 years to the Celts, who occupied what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France.

As life in that time revolved around food and the harvest, the Celts considered the end of the harvest season to be the end of the year. So each year on the date which in today’s Gregorian calendar system is October 31st, the Celts celebrated New Year’s Eve with a festival called “Samhain,” also known as the Festival of the Dead.

Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the “lighter half” of the year and beginning of the “darker half.” It was traditionally celebrated over the course of several days. History tells us that the unbleached beeswax candles used in the various ceremonies of the festival were orange, while the ceremonial caskets were covered in black cloths.

The Celts believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain; because some animals and plants were dying, it thus allowed the dead to reach back through the veil that separated them from the living.

People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.

The Celtic custom of wearing costumes and masks, was an attempt to copy the spirits or placate them. Samhnag — turnips which were hollowed-out and carved with faces to make lanterns — were also used to ward off harmful spirits.

The colors black and orange are an obvious choice to celebrate this holiday, not only because of the traditions they are rooted in, but also because they are reflected in nature during this time of year. The orange colors of the changing leaves and the harvest, and the black of night as daylight hours become shorter and shorter.

These colors can be replicated throughout your home in modern and stylish ways. How would you pair the two colors? See our favorites below!

As the weather cools, and the leaves change color we know the fall season is upon us. Football games, and crisp mornings greet us for the day. Some of us will soon be gathering for Thanksgiving feasts with our family and friends. What better way to savor the season than to bring some of that feeling inside our homes to enjoy?

The warm colors and smells of the fall are bursting outside. Bring them inside and enjoy them on even those wet rainy days… Whether it be with pumpkins, leaves, flowers, spicy scented candles, or even add a pop of color to an accent wall with the warmth of the color of hot apple cider, or the richness of a fiery red leaf just about to fall from the tree…